Practice and qualifying were held in beautiful autumn conditions at the mountainous Fukuoka circuit, which is situated high above sea level on Kyushu Island.

Securing third on the grid in qualifying, it was clear of the strength of the Nissan GT-R contingent who locked out the front row of the grid.

Alongside Lester in fourth were his title rivals and team mates Dominic Ang and Melvin Moh in the sister Team PST machine, with strong performances also from Audi, Porsche and BMW close in behind.

In a case of déjà vu, the team awoke to heavy rain and thick, low hanging fog on Sunday, much like in 2012 where the final round of the championship was abandoned due to dangerous weather.

Despite delays, the race was reduced to two hours and eventually got underway behind the safety car. Strategy saw Kataoka and Hairuman both pit immediately, meaning Lester would complete the race ‘solo’ in the horrid conditions.

When green flag running commenced, it became clear of the strength of the Nissan GT-Rs who galloped away at the head of the field. Lester was left to hold down the final podium spot, and finished in third position.

With car #1 finishing in fifth, the title was secured by just 6.5 points over the #28 of Lester, Kataoka and Hairuman.

“It hurts to come this close and fall short, but we didn’t deserve to win the race today,” Lester admitted.

“The Nissans didn’t put a foot wrong. Their pace was incredible and they were deserved victors. I’m proud of what we’ve achieved this season despite a few hiccups at Motegi and Fuji. In hindsight, those two mechanical incidents cost us dearly.”

In an impressive record in Japan’s Super Taikyu Series, the PETRONAS Syntium Team wrapped up their sixth consecutive championship at Autopolis and another 1-2 for good measure.

“It really is an impressive feat for the team to have achieved such a run of success, and every member of the team can be proud of playing a part in it.

“Dato’ David Wong has been a visionary of Asian motor racing with an unparalleled record and he in particular should be proud. I thank him for the opportunities he’s presented me and look forward to many more successful seasons together.”

Jono Lester would like to extend a special thank you to his key partners for their support in 2013, including Vortex Racewear, Lero Global, R Redpath Limited, OPTI-Flex, Fastway Couriers, Robbie Bird Wines, CRC MotorNews.co.nz, Mako Networks, iSign it, Sony New Zealand, Sony Xplod, ThrillPledge and Webdesign.

With the 2013 season now drawing to a close, Lester is looking ahead to next year with an exciting calendar of motor racing planned.

More details about Jono and his career can be found at www.jonolester.com, or by following ‘Jono Lester’ on Facebook, @jonolester on Twitter and @jono_lester on Instagram. Join the conversation using the hashtag #flyingkiwi on social media platforms.

Follow the action from your smartphone by downloading the free Jono Lester app, simply by visiting http://jonolester.appguppy.com from your iPhone or Android device.

Kiwi endurance driver Jono Lester travels to Japan this week for the final round of the 2013 Super Taikyu Series at Autopolis, where he will fight with the PETRONAS Syntium Team’s sister car for the Championship title.

Following a season of impressive speed, numerous wins but also numerous mechanical failures, Lester’s Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG GT3 (#28) currently sits second overall in the points standings, just 6.5 points behind the leaders with 21 points available at the final round.

The consistency of the Team PST cars during 2013 has extended the pair beyond reach of the chasing pack, and the Championship is guaranteed to be won by the PETRONAS Syntium Team for a sixth consecutive season.

The question is, which car will be victorious?

“The math is pretty simple,” Lester explains.

“It’s a must-win event for us. If we achieve this and the #1 car finishes third or worse, we will secure the title.

“I am confident of our ability to run at the front and challenge for another race win to end the season. The race will play out how it plays out – that is out of our control – but for the first time this season I’m hoping for a strong challenge from our GT3 class rivals to ‘mix it up’ and help us achieve #28’s first Championship title.”

The Autopolis 3-hour race is set in a mountainous Southern region of Japan and is regularly hampered by inclement weather.

At the 2012 Super Taikyu final, the race was abandoned due to heavy rain and fog. Similarly, the recent Super GT race at Autopolis last month saw qualifying cancelled due to track flooding.

“Rain we can put up with, but we don’t need another anticlimax like last year. We want a hard, fair fight with all of those around us, and the best men to win on the day.”

More details about Jono and his season can be found at www.jonolester.com, or by following ‘Jono Lester’ on Facebook, @jonolester on Twitter and @jono_lester on Instagram. Join the conversation using the hashtag #flyingkiwi on social media platforms.

Follow the action from your smartphone by downloading the free Jono Lester app, simply by visiting http://jonolester.appguppy.com from your iPhone or Android device.

John McIntyre will once again pair with young Kiwi endurance specialist Jono Lester for the three round V8SuperTourers Endurance Championship.

Currently 7th in overall points, the 2012 Sprint Champions JMR have shown plenty of speed during the 2013 season but have been the victim of on-track incidents that have cost numerous podium finishes. McIntyre and his Taupo-based team are looking to the nine race ‘Enduro Series’ both to move forward on the overall Championship, and aim for high honours in the Endurance Championship also.

“Although these races are called enduros, they are effectively sprint races with a pitstop,” McIntyre commented.

“We will need the same fast pace we had at round one and for both drivers to put in fast but consistent performances over the three races.

“Jono has had laps in the car this year and due to his busy driving schedule is very race fit and is adapting well to the V8ST style.”

23-year old Lester is enthusiastic about the team’s chances in the 2013 V8 SuperTourers Enduro Series;

“The JMR team have displayed great speed throughout the 2013 season so far and I’m excited to again join the team after our two Taupo Podiums.”

“JMR are a well-oiled machine and we have continuity on our side. The key to success over the nine races will be consistency and keeping out of trouble. If we can combine that with the speed we know the #47 has then we will be on the right track!”

With Lester fresh from leading the Super Taikyu Series in Japan and McIntyre winning the South Island Endurance Series opener at Invercargill last weekend, the pair are looking forward to pushing the #47 Blackwooks Protector Falcon to the front at Hampton Downs.

The V8SuperTourer action commences on Saturday with two 45-minute practice sessions, followed by individual qualifying and a 36 lap race. The stars of Australasian motorsport will hit the track again on Sunday for two races of 56 laps each.

The weekend will feature same-day television coverage on TV3′s CRC Motorsport, from 03:00pm to 05:30pm this Sunday, September 29.

Kiwi endurance driver Jono Lester is disappointed not to have capitalised on a strong qualifying performance for the PETRONAS Syntium Team at Suzuka, finishing fourth in his race at the penultimate round of the 2013 Super Taikyu Series.

After scoring the team’s second pole position of the season alongside Tatsuya Kataoka, Lester lined up in third on the grid for the opening race.

A frantic start saw the top four cars immediately locked in battle, rarely separated by more than a few inches as crowds were witness to one of the most enthralling tussles in the history of Super Taikyu, until the interjection of a lengthy safety car period part-way into the 40-minute race.

With lapped traffic separating Lester from the leaders, the 23-year old, Takapuna based driver lost out at the restart in a drag-race to the first corner with the #81 GTNET Nissan GT-R of Takayuki Aoki.

From there, with a handful of laps remaining, a challenge for the final podium spot was unsuccessful and a despondent Lester settled for fourth place.

“I’m incredibly disappointed to not be able to translate our pace into a strong result today,” Lester said.

“There was some questionable driving out there and playing by the rules ended up working against me. In such a tight championship battle we need every point, so our job just got a little bit harder for the final round at Autopolis.”

Damage limitation on Sunday came in the form of a brilliant win from Kataoka, followed up by another for Fariqe Hairuman to set up an exciting final round with just 6.5 points separating Car #28 from points leader, sister SLS AMG GT3 #1.

“The boys performed flawlessly on Sunday and kept our hopes alive. Autopolis is going to be a nail biter!”

The final round of the 2013 Super Taikyu Series takes place at Autopolis on November 09-10.

Lester returns to New Zealand overnight to prepare for the first of three endurance races that make up the V8 SuperTourers Endurance Series. He will again be paired with John McIntyre against a stellar field of Australasian motorsport stars.

The following weekend both Lester and McIntyre will join Fastway Racing for the Christchurch round of the 2013 SIERDC at Ruapuna, a 3-hour race driving a Porsche 997 GT3 Cup alongside Simon Ellingham.

More details about Jono and his season can be found at www.jonolester.com, or by following ‘Jono Lester’ on Facebook, @jonolester on Twitter and @jono_lester on Instagram. Join the conversation using the hashtag #flyingkiwi on social media platforms.

Follow the action from your smartphone by downloading the free Jono Lester app, simply by visiting http://jonolester.appguppy.com from your iPhone or Android device.

Kiwi endurance driver Jono Lester is excited at the prospect of a return to the famous Suzuka circuit for the penultimate round of the 2013 Super Taikyu Series.

On a weekend that supports the World Touring Car Championship, Super Taikyu will again adopt the sprint race format that was trialed with success at South Korea’s Inje Speedium early in the season.

Three 40-minute sprint races will see each driver complete a full race to contribute to an overall points haul. With the pair of PETRONAS Syntium Team Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG GT3 now equal at the head of the points table, the importance of three strong Suzuka performances is critical to Lester’s chances of claiming the overall title.

“Suzuka will be the most important round of the season so far,” Lester commented.

“With that in mind, I’m glad this is the circuit where the pressure is on. I won here last year and the car is never better than on tracks of this nature, so I’m confident in an all-round strong performance from #28 to set up the final showdown at Autopolis in November.”

With much of his career to date in sprint racing, Lester has thrived in this format in Super Taikyu over the last two season, winning at Suzuka last season and again at Korea early in 2013 as part of a #28 clean sweep at the Inje Speedium.

“The early years in Porsche Cups have put me in good stead for sprint racing. Some of my toughest races were just 20 or 30 minutes long and the intensity is certainly a lot higher in that environment.

“The margin for error, on the flipside, is a lot lower! We need to ensure no mistakes and – best case scenario – three from three with Fariqe [Hairuman] and “TK” [Tatsuya Kataoka] both on top form after their recent win at Okayama.”

Immediately after Suzuka, Lester returns to New Zealand for the first of three endurance races that make up the V8 SuperTourers Endurance Series. He will again be paired with John McIntyre against a stellar field of Australian motorsport stars.

The following weekend both Lester and McIntyre will join Fastway Racing for the Christchurch round of the 2013 SIERDC at Ruapuna, a 3-hour race driving a Porsche 997 GT3 Cup alongside Simon Ellingham.

More details about Jono and his season can be found at www.jonolester.com, or by following ‘Jono Lester’ on Facebook, @jonolester on Twitter and @jono_lester on Instagram. Join the conversation using the hashtag #flyingkiwi on social media platforms.

Follow the action from your smartphone by downloading the free Jono Lester app, simply by visiting http://jonolester.appguppy.com from your iPhone or Android device.

Kiwi endurance driver Jono Lester has been unable to translate a front row start into victory in the 2013 12-hour Malaysia Merdeka Endurance Race (MMER) at Sepang International Circuit, retiring from the race after nine hours.

The trio completed a PST front row lockout in qualifying behind the all-German line up of Thomas Jaeger, Luca Ludwig and Lucas Wolf in #28, and led the field away at the stroke of midnight to battle through the early hours of the race and sit in third position after four hours.

Suddenly and in the space of just five laps, both PST machines were in trouble with the #28 car retiring with an engine failure, and Lester’s #1 pitting with Schneider at the wheel with a broken fan belt.

Losing 28 laps repairing the car, Lester rejoined the field in 21st place and brought the car up to 12th in his second stint, clawing back two laps on the race leading AF Corse Ferrari in the process.

Ang and Schneider further improved the position to ninth overall, before the car was retired after nine hours with an expired engine, succumbing to internal damage from the earlier fan belt incident.

Lester remained upbeat despite the disappointment of the result:

“The spirit of the PETRONAS Syntium Team shone through today and I’m proud of what the team achieved in times of such adversity,” he said.

“We had many challenges thrown at us but never gave up. We knew after the fan belt issue that we were out of contention, but with the pressure off we did our best to put on a show for the local fans with some exciting battles and fast pace in the resurgent #1 machine.”

“It would have been a close fought battle for the win, regardless. Our team mates (#28) and the Ferraris were very fast and we expected a race-long battle with them. Today wasn’t our day but we will be back even stronger in 2014.”

Elsewhere in Japan, Lester’s regular Super Taikyu SLS AMG GT3 #28 took victory in the Okayama 3 Hour Super Taikyu Endurance race, after qualifying in second position and battling through horrible weather conditions to take a hard fought victory from Nissan and the sister SLS AMG GT3 #1.

“It certainly eases the pain of the race today to know that Fariqe [Hairuman] and TK [Tatsuya Kataoka] had such a strong result in Japan. On corrected score [taking into account the ‘drop your worst round’ points format] we are now back in the lead of the Championship, which makes the prospect of Suzuka all the more exciting!”

Lester’s next outing is the penultimate round of the 2013 Super Taikyu Series at Suzuka on September 20-21. The sprint format event stages three 40-minute, single driver races in support of the World Touring Car Championship.

More details about Jono and his season can be found at www.jonolester.com, or by following ‘Jono Lester’ on Facebook or @jonolester on Twitter. Join the conversation using the hashtag #flyingkiwi on social media platforms.

Follow the action from your smartphone by downloading the free Jono Lester app, simply by visiting http://jonolester.appguppy.com from your iPhone or Android device.

Kiwi endurance driver Jono Lester has seen another opportunity for victory in the Super Taikyu Series go awry with a broken fan belt dropping him out of contention in the Fuji 7 Hour race today.

The longest event on the Super Taikyu calendar was held in muggy conditions that regularly saw temperatures top 38-degrees celcius, making for tough work at the wheel for the 53 entrants competing across six classes.

Driving the PETRONAS Syntium Team Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG GT3 #28, Lester qualified in fourth position but was later demoted a further four grid spots due to an infringement in qualifying where the 23-year old was found to have crossed the ‘blend line’ when entering the pit lane.

Starting from the outside of the fourth row in eighth position, former Super GT Champion Tatsuya Kataoka brought the team into contention during the first stint of the race, taking the lead at the 70-minute mark and handing over to Fariqe Hairuman.

Hairuman consolidated a handy buffer to the chasing GTNET ADVAN Nissan GT-R, and the Team PST’s sister SLS AMG GT3, before Lester took the wheel for the third stint of the race, slowing building the gap further over Nobuteru Taniguchi in SLS AMG GT3 #1.

“I wasn’t sure just how good my pace was for most of my stint due to a radio issue,” Lester said.

“Taniguchi is known to be lightning quick when having to chase down lost time, however I was able to hold and then build the gap with the 28 car performing well as the fuel load decreased.”

This was until the team were forced to serve a 20-second stop/go penalty for a pit lane error during the second driver change, relegating Lester to third before quickly chasing down and passing the GTNET GT-R soon after.

Within sight of team mate Taniguchi in Car #1, Lester pushed on until the ultimate demise came at the four hour mark, when a broken fan belt lost the Takapuna-based driver many laps in the pits as the team raced to rebuild the car.

A heavy thunderstorm engulfed the Fuji International Speedway soon after Lester’s mechanical issues, drenching the track in heavy rain, thunder and lightning.

Erring on the side of caution at over 25 laps down on the leaders, the team elected to complete only the 160-lap minimum to be classified as a finisher, in 40th position.

“This sport can be cruel sometimes and in the two rounds since Korea we have had some big hurdles to jump, and sometimes stumble over. There’s still three rounds remaining, however, and as I can personally vouch for, anything can happen in endurance racing!”

With Super Taikyu using the ‘drop your worst round’ points scoring format, the damage to Lester’s title hopes eases, however the pressure to win the remaining three rounds of the 2013 championship is crucial to his chances.

The next round of the 2013 Super Taikyu Series is the 3 Hours of Okayama on August 31 to September 1.

More details about Jono and his season can be found at www.jonolester.com, or by following ‘Jono Lester’ on Facebook or @jonolester on Twitter. Join the conversation using the hashtag #flyingkiwi on social media.

Follow the action from your smartphone by downloading the free Jono Lester app, simply by visiting http://jonolester.appguppy.com from your iPhone or Android device.

The 23-year old leads the Super Taikyu Series after a clean sweep of wins in Korea, and is firmly focused on consolidating and extending that gap at the high speed Motegi circuit, run within the banked curves of the popular Indycar oval.

“We have positive momentum after Korea, and the key now it to ride the wave and maximise our advantage at Motegi,” Lester commented.

The pair of PETRONAS Syntium Team cars will come under threat from a gaggle of GT3 rivals from marques such as Nissan, Audi, BMW and Porsche. Included in the grid is the high profile addition of former Le Mans 24 Hour winner Seiji Ara, driving an Audi R8 LMS.

Lester admits the layout of the Motegi circuit may suit rival machinery a little more than the long-snouted Mercedes-Benz.

“I enjoyed Motegi last year and did many laps there in both wet and dry. It’s a stop-start circuit and this may be to the benefit of the likes of Nissan and Porsche, whereas the SLS AMG is more suited to flowing circuits.

“Nevertheless, endurance racing is more than just being fast on a single lap. Strategy will come into play again with a 5 hour race, and fitness will be key in remaining consistently quick to challenge for victory.”

The Motegi event marks the first of eleven for Lester in the space of 15 weeks, driving in the Super Taikyu Series, V8 SuperTourers and South Island Endurance Series. At the conclusion of the regular season, his focus will turn to his competitive debut in the D1NZ Drifting Championship Pro Class over the summer.

More details about Jono and his season can be found at www.jonolester.com, or by following ‘Jono Lester’ on Facebook or @jonolester on Twitter. Join the conversation using the hashtag #flyingkiwi on social media.

Follow the action from your smartphone by downloading the free Jono Lester app, simply by visiting http://jonolester.appguppy.com from your iPhone or Android device.

Kiwi Jono Lester has made a clean sweep of the South Korean round of the 2013 Super Taikyu Series at the new Inje Speedium, to lead the Championship with maximum points.

Lester and team mate Fariqe Hairuman scored both pole positions, both races wins, both fastest laps and set the Race Lap Record en route to the ‘perfect’ weekend for the #28 PETRONAS Syntium Team Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG GT3.

“This was always our goal, but it’s still such a brilliant feeling to pull it off and give our Championship hopes a major boost!” Lester commented.

The event format saw two 45-minute sprint races at the new 3.8km venue instead of Super Taikyu’s usual endurance format, allowing Lester and Hairuman a race each behind the wheel of the #28 car.

Stiff competition, as at the series opener at Sugo, came from the sister #1 PETRONAS Syntium Team car and the GTNET Nissan GT-R piloted by Super GT aces Kazuki Hoshino and Takayuki Aoki.

The GT-R, in fact, equaled Lester’s pole time of 1:35.048 to the third decimal places but started from second on the grid due to Lester’s time being set first.

From there, it was all one-way traffic. Hairuman took a convincing victory in the opening race before Lester gapped the field in the second to win by over 17 seconds.

The new race lap record was set by Lester on the final lap of the race, to cap off a perfect weekend for the 23-year old Kiwi.

“Being the bridesmaid in 2012 was motivation enough to up our game for this season, and we have set the tone for what I hope will be a season of wins for myself and the team.

“Having Fariqe in our car has reignited his mojo also and our overall package is proving to be extremely strong this year.

“With the next race a 5-hour event at Motegi, we head into our next challenge with our heads held high!”

More details about Jono and his season can be found at www.jonolester.com, or by following ‘Jono Lester’ on Facebook or @jonolester on Twitter. Search the hashtag #flyingkiwi for related social media content online.

Follow the action from your smartphone by downloading the new Jono Lester app, simply by visiting http://jonolester.appguppy.com from your iPhone or Android device.

Today was Practice and Qualifying for the second round of the Super Taikyu Endurance Series at Inje Speedium, South Korea. Kiwi driver Jono Lester was in action in the #28 PETRONAS Syntium Team Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG GT3.

Lester and his team mate Fariqe Hairuman took a double pole position today on the new circuit. Lester set the new Official Lap Record in the process.

“That was one of the most tense qualifying sessions of my life, and to end it equal with the GTR sets up the prospect of an awesome battle in tomorrow’s race!”

“As the first drivers to lap the Inje Speedium, the circuit started with nearly no grid and has gradually improved over the day. However, we’re still nowhere near the potential of the circuit and I don’t believe we will see that for a few months yet.”

“Even better for us is a double-pole, with Fariqe [Hairuman] taking pole for race one also.”

“From what I’ve seen, you really have no opportunity to pass around here. So, we are poised for our goal of a clean sweep tomorrow providing we hold our nerve.”

The news blog

If you are a driver, a team or a series who wish to have your racing related press releases published send them to press@driverdb.com and it will be added, time permitting.

For drivers who wants to guarantee that their press release get published (as well as on the top of the front page on the main site and posted in our Facebook and Twitter feeds) you need to have a Premier Profile at Driver Database.